News

FIS Ski World Cup Finals in St. Moritz

16 March 2016

As a highlight at the end of the World Cup season 2015/16, the men's and women's finals of the FIS Ski World Cup were held from 16th to 20th March 2016 in St. Moritz. The venue of the World Cup final always hosts the World Championships the following year, which means the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships St. Moritz 2017 actually began in March 2016. The World Cup final is the major rehearsal for the Ski World Championships 2017, during which all the slopes, infrastructure and procedures are tested for the World Championships. PistenBully was at the heart of things, guaranteeing eco-friendly and efficient snow grooming at World Championship level with its products the 600 E+ and SNOWsat.

Good for nature, good for your imageThe World Championships next year will be groomed with an additional 6 new PistenBully alongside the existing fleet of 19 vehicles. Three of the "newbies" in their unusual World Championship design are already hard at work. One PistenBully 600 W SCR to create the perfect conditions on the challenging steep slopes. The two others are diesel-electric PistenBully 600 E+, which impress thanks to high energy-efficiency and the enormous fuel saving of up to 20 %. Another 600 E+, incidentally the first E+ ever sold, has already been at the resort since 2012. A typical move by St. Moritz at the time: the philosophy of consistent sustainability for people and the environment and being as economical as possible with energy reserves.

Eco-friendly even for world-class sportObviously the vehicles are equipped with SNOWsat - guaranteeing snow production and grooming at the highest quality level and a very economical approach to snow as a resource in any event. This package of eco-friendly technologies serves to emphasise the green approach of Engadin St. Moritz Mountains AG. Something that has already made the World Cup finals a particularly sustainable major event. For Adrian Jordan, Head of Technology COO at Engadin St. Moritz Mountains AG, SNOWsat and the E+ are making things much easier: "Generally, it's the thrust and the quiet operation of the machines that particularly impresses. SNOWsat offers major advantages when it comes to grooming racing slopes: knowing precisely where the slope is and what the current snow depth is, makes the work vastly simpler. In addition, we also have clear reference points for the slope structures. The shaping and terrain work are much easier to manage. As soon as a slope is rated good, it is fed into SNOWsat and is then there as a reference for all drivers for minute accuracy. Finding anchor points and snow-making wells is also much easier. My people are impressed with the solution and would not give it up now."

For the World Championship organising team, the World Cup on the Corviglia, the home peak of St. Moritz, was the dress rehearsal: the slope marking for the individual disciplines was tested, and the infrastructure, concepts and strategies for the World Championships were reviewed. Now we can calmly face the world title battles next year.

For Adrian Jordan reliability and trust are very important for events like these: "PistenBully has been our partner for many years now. With the good experience we've had, it was obvious that we would master the 2017 World Championships together too. And do so calmly! Major events like this set the bar high. With 9 World Cup races in 5 days, you have to be able to rely on the equipment 100-percent. With PistenBully we can be confident of getting the best from our slopes."

Unusual PistenBully design for the 2017 World Championships in St. Moritz.